Machine for preparing soil for seeding.



No. 746,653.. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903] r' T T. ADAIR.

MACHINE FOR PREPARING SOIL FOR SEEDING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1901. no MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTBD DEC. 15, 1903.

T. ADAIR. MACHINE FOR PREPARING SOIL FOR SBEDI'NG.

APPLIUATION iILsn we; a, 1 1- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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Batented December 15, 1903.

UNITED STATES ATENT rricst THOMAS ADAIR, OF BELFAST, IRELAND.

MACHINE FOR PREPARING SOIL FOR SEEDING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,653, dated December1903- Application filed August 3,1901.

To al whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS ADAIR, a subject of the King of Great Britainand Ireland, residing at Belfast, in the county of Antrim and Provinceof Ulster,Ireland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Preparing Soil for Seeding, (for which I have applied forLetters Patent of Great Britain and Ireland, dated January 3, 1901, andnumbered 167,) of which the following is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efiicient machinefor leveling the surface soil, breaking the clods thereof, and removingstones and Weeds therefrom.

The invention will be fully described hereinafter, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation ofa machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation, partlybroken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line 3 3of Fig. {4; Fig. 4, avertical transverse section on the line 4 4 ofFig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail showing a modification.

The frame of the machine is indicated by A and will preferably be ofskeleton form.

Near the front end of the framea horizontally-disposed Archimedean screwB extends transversely across it and is journaled in suitable bearingsin side plates a, forming part of the frame A. To the rear of theArchimedean screw is a roller 0,.provided with a series ofcircumferential rows of short tapering spikes c, the function of whichis to break up clods and raise stones and weeds to the surface. The axle10 of the roller is journaled in suitable bearings on the frame and forconvenience in turning the roller is made in two sections, one of whichis fast with the axle and turns with it, while the other turns on theaxle. The roller 0 partly supports the machine and forms the drivingmeans for the other working parts.

To the rear of the roller 0 is a rotary harrow, consisting of a seriesof disks d, mounted upon a shaft D and provided with curved fingers 11.The disks at will be mounted on the shaft to turn with it, but easilyremovable therefrom. Preferably the shaft will be anby varying thethickness gular in cross-section and the disks be pro- Serial No-70,839. (No modeL) vided with openings of corresponding shape. Spacingrings or washers 12 may be placed between the disks, as shown in Fig. 5,or the disks may project on one or both sides beyond the plane of thefingers, as shown in Fig.4. so that the fingers on one disk will bespaced from those on adjacent disks. Evidently the space between thefingers on one disk and those on the next may be regulated as desired ofthe spacingwashers.

It is of course understood that the portions of the shaft D within itsbearings will be cylindrical, and, if preferred, the shaft may becylindrical throughout its length and the disks be connected to it byaslot and key.

To the rear of the rotary harrow are supporting-wheels E, mounted on anaxle e, supported in the frame.

Some means must be provided for driving theArchimedean screw and therotary harrow, and in the present case a system of gearing is employedto transmit movement from the spiked roller to the screw and harrow. Theaxle of the spiked roller projects beyond its bearings at one end and isprovided with a gear-wheel 15, which meshes with another similar wheel16 on an axle 17, and the gearwheel16 meshes with a smaller gear 18 onthe axle of the Archimedean screw B. The gear 15 also meshes with alarger gear 19 on an axle 20, and the gear 19 meshes with. a small gear21 on the end of-the shaft of the rotary harrow. Preferably the gears16, 18,19, and

21 will be duplicated on opposite sides of the machine.

Between the rotary harrow and the spiked roller areceptacle F issupported in position to receive stones, weeds, 850., which may belifted out of the soil by the rotary harrow. This receptacle willpreferably be provided with a bottom of wire-nettingfin order that thefine soil may sift through. I

It is necessary to provide some means for adjusting the position of theharrow relatively to the" soil in order that the depth of penetration ofthe fingers into the soil may be varied to suit existing conditions andalso that the fingers may be lifted entirely above the surface of theground when the machine is turning or being moved without having toperform its work. This may be accomplished in various ways, and in thepresent case shaft D of the harrow is supported in curved slots in theplates 66. A sleeve 26 is mounted on the axle 20 to turn freely thereon,and arms 27 extend from the ends of the sleeve and are provided witheyes, through which the shaft D extends. A lever Z, rigidly connected tothe sleeve 26, extends upwardly, and its upper end is connected to oneend of a link 28, the other end of the link being connected to one endof a bar 29, supported to slide lengthwise in a bracket 30 at the frontend of the frame. The bar is screw-threaded, and a hand-nut 31 is fittedon the threaded portion and engages the frame. By turning the hand-nutin one direction the rod 29 and link 30 will move toward the front ofthe machine, and thereby operate the lever Z to lift the rotary harrow,and it is evident that the extent of such lifting may be varied asdesired. When the nut is turned in the opposite direction, the harrowwill move downwardly under the influence of its own weight.

In operation the Archimedean screw will level the surface of the soiland the spiked roller will crush the clods and loosen stones, weeds,&c., and the rotary harrow will loosen up the soil to a considerabledepth and lift the weeds and stones therefrom and deposit them in thereceptacle F. Soil prepared in this manner will be in a pulverizedcondition suitable for sowing with any of the small seeds-such as flax,hemp, turnip-and the small cereals, which are usually sown in drills.

Without limiting myself to the precise details illustrated anddescribed, I claim- 1. In amachine for preparing soil for seeding, thecombination of a roller, a rotary harrow supported in rear of theroller, a receptacle supported between the roller and harrow to receivestones or weeds lifted by the harrow, and means for rotating the harrow,substantially as set forth.

2. In a machine for preparing soil for seeding, the combination of ahorizontally-disposed Archimedean screw for leveling the surface of thesoil, a roller in rear of the screw provided with circumferential rowsof short tapering spikes for crushing clods, and a rotary harrow in rearof the roller provided with curved fingers for lifting stones and weedsout of the soil, substantially as set forth.

3. In a machine for preparing soil for seeding, the combination of ahorizontally-disposed Archimedean screw, a roller supported in rear ofthe screw, a rotary barrow supported in rear of the roller, a receptaclesupported between the harrow and roller for receiving stones and weedslifted by the harrow, and means for transmitting rotary movement fromthe roller to the screw and the harrow, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS ADAIR.

Witnesses:

HUGH HYNDMAN, MALCOLM T. BRICE.

